Improvement in wrenches



UNITED STATES W. H. LANDBECK, OF ROOHESTER, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN WRENCHES.

Specificaton forming part of Letters Patent No. 544,178, dated April 24, 1866.

T0 all whom tt may concern:

Be it known that I,WM. HENRY LANDBECK, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Wrenches; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull and exact description thereof, reference heing had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specifieation.

Figure 1 is a perspective "iew of my improved wrench; Fig. 2, an elevation of the same, with portions in seetion, for the purpose of showing the method of connecting the re- 1novable jaws and the ratchet-block Fig. 3, a view showing the method of connecting the upper jaw; Fig. 4, a view showing the construction of the ratchet arrangement; Figs. 5, 6, and 7, "iews of the different changeable jaws adapted 1:0 use in the same wrench Fig. 8, a modification of the ratehet arrangement.

Like letters of reference indicate correspon ding parts in all the figures.

The object of my improvernent is to so construct and arrange the body of the wrench that it is adapted to receive jaws of different kinds, which are changeable at pleasure, thus adapting the same wrench to n1any different purposes and avoiding the necessity of a duplication; and also in the employment of a ratchet-block of considerable length, en gagn g; With the main ratchet-bar, by which means 'much greater strength is attained.

The body of the wrench iscomposed of a stationary lever or handle, A, provided with a head, a, and socket 12, and a movable lever, B, pivoted at 0 to a block, D, having a socket, d, sliding up a nd down over the upper portion of lever A.

In the head a of the handle is made alongitudinal soeket, in which fits loosely the stem f of any one of the lower jaws,g h i Ic, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. These jaws are applied or removed by simply inserting 0r removing the stem f, no fastening being employed.

The top of the block D is provided With a suitable hearing, l, Fig. 3, in which fits loosely the lower end of the shank m of any one of the upper jaws, n 0 12. These jaws are also applied or removed at pleasure, being held firn1 by tw0 screws or pins, q q, which keep them stiff. At the top the shank m passes through the socket 1) of the stationary handle, which keeps it steadily in place.

By this arrangement it will be perceived that I adapt the same Wrench to 1nany different purposes, thus avoiding the necessity of a duplication. Thus in Fig. 1 the ordinary jaws for turning a square body are sh0wn as appled. In Figs. 2, 5, 6, and 7 different forn1s are shown, and for different purposes, some -being for turning pipes, others for cones, 850.

I am not aware thatawrenchhas before been known in which the jaws are changable and in which different jaws for different uses can be applied at pleasure. The user is thus enabled to en1ploy the saine wrench for a variety of purposes,where ordinarily as 1nany different instruments are now required.

The stationary handle A is provided on its inner face with a ratchet-loar, r, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

In order to retain a strong hold with the jaws in heavy work I e1nploy a ratchet-block, s, within the blook D, engaging with 7 and having a hearing, t, on each side, that passes out through slots u u in the block D, by which 1neans it is retained in place, and said block is enahled to be drawn down to close the jaws on the article to loe turned. The lower end of the ratchet-block is formed into a cam-projection, c, against which strkes die corresponding surface zo of the lever B when it closes. When these surfaoes strike the eccentricity has the effect to drawdown the block D, and consequently close the jaws together. 'Ihe slot-s u u allow the block D to be drawn down to the proper degree. 'lhe advan tage of this arrangement is that whileI gel: thenecessary play of the the jaws to close upon the article to be turned, I

at the same time secure an extendedhold upon the ratchet-bar, for the engaging-surface of the block s may be made of any desirable length. Where a single point 0r tooth is made to engage with the ratchet-bar it will invariably strip the teeth or slide over in very heavy work. I ohviate all difficulty of the kind, for there is no possiblity of either stripping the teeth 0r slipping. The ratchet-block is disengaged by means of a thumb-projection, x.

Where the work is very light the ratchetb1ock mght be in the form indeated in Fig. 4, in whieh t eonstitutes the end of the 1e"er B, and is made eoncentric te fit the oog-bar.

It will be seen that I make the lever B te slide up and down, nstead of A, by whieh means the same length of handle is preserx-ed under a1l cireumstances.

What I claim as mynvention, zmd desire t0 secure by Letters Patent, is

The special construeton and arrangement of the wrench-viz., with the head. zo of the handle A, andthe bearng 1 of the bleek D, so formed as to receive removable jaws adapted to different purposes, and with the ratchetb10ck s, employed, in conneeton With the lever B, in sueh a manner as to nsure astronghold upon the ratchet-bar and draw the jaws toward each other, as set forth.

W. H. LANDBECK. Wtnesses:

R. F. SGOOD, H. LAMB. 

